Enjoy Impressionistic Holidays

SARHA CODY

You will find a simply beautiful holiday in the quaint town of Old Lyme where the Florence Griswold Museum is dressed up with imagination. The annual Magic of Christmas exhibit, which runs through Jan. 4, includes artist-decorated trees that always delight the crowds.

“Our namesake, Florence Griswold, was actually born on Christmas Day in 1850,” says Director of Education and Outreach David Rau.

The museum served as the center of one America’s most famous art colonies. “It really allows us to shine a light on this remarkable woman who opened up her house to artists throughout the last century,” Rau says.

With the unveiling of a new acquisition and fresh additions to the famous palette tree, the museum is poised for a lively season. The historic Griswold House, a Georgian mansion, is decorated to depict the holidays circa 1910. Inside, visitors will find three fantasy trees: one is a nod to Tonalist art while another captures the colors and flickering light of Impressionism.

“The artist is playing with the ever-changing quality of nature and her tree will actually turn,” says Rau. The third tree honors the unveiling of “The Skaters” by Miriam Barer, a graduate of Yale School of Fine Arts who trained in the technique of egg tempera painting, using pigments ground by hand. The Krieble Gallery houses the museum’s most iconic image of the holidays: Miss Florence’s Artist Tree, filled with painted palettes that were created by 160 artists from Connecticut and around the country. This year, 12 new creations are being added to the collection.

“People come every year saying they want to see their favorite palettes and they also want to see which palettes are new,” says Rau.

Other activities include Christmastime Teas Tuesdays through Saturdays through Dec. 20. An Art Bar Happy Hour is on Dec. 9, when visitors decorate glass ornaments. Children can meet the Snow Queen at a daylong crafting and tea party on Saturday, Dec. 13. Founded in 1936, the museum, which is located on the banks of the Lieutenant River, provides a creative respite for art lovers, especially around the frenetic holidays.

“One of my happiest moments is when I see people buying blank palettes from our museum shop because they’re going to give those palettes or make something on those palettes, inspired directly from what they saw,” says Rau. “That’s where the real memories are made.”

Visit florgris.org or call 860-434-5542, Ext. 111 for hours, ticket prices or to make reservations.